Jam-O-Elvis Outline
Setting The Stage
The door to the room is decorated with a velvet Elvis painting – the tackier the better.
The room is decorated with blue and white Christmas lights and yet-to-be-determined
Elvis memorabilia.
The room should remain fairly dark – with the Jam-O-Drum bathed in light creating a
natural beacon for the guests. The guests stand around the Jam-O-Drum table at the four
standard Jam-O-Drum wheels/pads. After a few seconds, the Christmas lights in the
room go out and the show begins.
The Experience
Intro:
The Elvis Experience begins with a slide show and a voice-over depicting key moments
in Elvis’s life: the birth of Elvis – how he had a stillborn twin, Elvis receiving a guitar
because his parents were too poor to afford the bicycle he wanted, Elvis’s rise to fame,
and ending with Elvis’s death in 1977. The voice-over should have the same quality as a
VH1 “Behind The Music” documentary – so overly serious that it is comic. The slides
are projected on the center of the Jam-O-Drum table and the pictures should be slightly
campy. Because the Jam-O-Drum is designed to be experienced “in the round,” the slide
show pictures will be shown at different angles so that all four guests will have an equal
view. The entire slide show should take no more than a minute. The slide show segment
of the experience ends with a voice-over informing the guests that due to the miracle of
modern technology, they can now bring Elvis back from the dead.
The Séance:
In the next segment of the experience, the voice-over goes on to tell the guests exactly
how to bring Elvis back from the dead. This will consist of having the four guests put
their hands on the table (as indicated by projected handprints on touch-pads or buttons),
and shouting the mystical phrase: “Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches!” A hidden
volume meter will register the volume of the shout, and will have to reach a certain level
for the show to continue (and until then, the guests will be told by the voice-over to yell
louder). The voice-over then takes on the characteristics of an announcer at a rock
concert spliced with the intro riffs of Jailhouse Rock: “Ladies and Gentlemen…” (duh
DUM) “…live, from Nether-Memphis…” (duh DUM) “…The King of Rock and Roll…”
(duh DUM) “..Elvis Presley!!!” A fog machine kicks in and the lights in the room dart
around to the center of the Jam-O-Drum table where the animated 1950’s Elvis appears.
The Opening:
The 1950’s Elvis head goes on to sing a bit of Jailhouse Rock and to thank the good
ladies and gentlemen for bringing him back from the dead. He’s so delighted to be here
that he’s going to do something special for them…he’s going to teach them how to Rock
and Roll.
The first thing Virtual Elvis teaches the guests is how to do the Elvis snarl. Elvis
instructs the guest to look at the person next to them to make sure they’re all snarling.
Then Virtual Elvis teaches the guests how to swing their hips. This is done by projecting
a virtual body onto the table to illustrate as Virtual Elvis explains to the guests that they
need to swing their Jam-O-Drum input wheel while they swing. The reason they need to
swing the wheel is to energize Elvis so he won’t fade away. If the guests don’t swing the
wheel (and their hips), Virtual Elvis will dissipate back to Nether-Memphis (sink back
into the table) and the experience is over (but this only happens if people REALLY
refuse to play along). If everyone does swing his or her wheel (and hips), the experience
continues.
This is the climax and heart of The Elvis Experience. Elvis tells the guests that since
they’ve been such a good audience, he’s going to do something really special: the guests
will actually get to play along with Elvis! Virtual Elvis talks the guests through selecting
an instrument with the Jam-O-Drum wheel and teaches them how to play by tapping the
drum pad (note: the instruments will not be all percussive, but with also include various
sounds like guitar samples, harmonica samples, etc.). Once they’ve had a chance to
practice for a few seconds, Elvis tells them to quiet down. If the guests don’t stop hitting
their instrument pads, Elvis will reprimand them. Elvis then goes on to sing one of his
up-tempo classic songs while the four guests play along. The fog machine and lights go
crazy. Elvis reminds them to snarl and swing their hips while they play. It’s a Rock and
Roll party!
BUT just then, the lights in the room flicker. Something strange is happening. The
1950’s Elvis looks alarmed. “No! Not again,” he says.
Viva Las Vegas starts playing. The 1950’s Elvis looks pained. The fog machine kicks in
again and the 1970’s Elvis appears – complete with sunglasses and jumpsuit.
A fight scene ensues between the two Elvi.
Guest save the good Elvis by rocking and rolling and the evil Elvis is banished. Or not.
Dénouement:
Once the song ends, Elvis thanks the guests and tells them that now that they’ve learned
his Rock and Roll ways, they should go forth and teach others. Amid much fog and
fanfare, the voice-over tells the guests “Elvis has left the building.” The Christmas lights
wink back on and the room returns to its original state. On the way out the door, the
guests are handed stickers that say: “I Raised Elvis From the Dead.”